The top NHL draft prospect at the Memorial Cup in Windsor thinks his team is the underdog.
Gabe Vilardi says his team is ready after a six-week layoff after being bounced in the first round of the OHL playoffs.
The Kingston native is considered a top-three pick for next month's NHL draft.
The 17-year-old Vilardi believes the first 10 minutes of Friday's opener against the Quebec League champion Saint John Sea Dogs will be crucial.
"You can physically prepare all you want, but these guys have been playing and we haven't. It's going to be huge for us to have a good start," says Vilardi. "I think that will give us a confidence boost. For a short tournament like this you have to be ready to go every shift."
Vilardi says the time off has been gruelling, like a second training camp for the team.
"These six weeks haven't been easy. You can just image the workouts, the ice sessions we've been through," says Vilardi. "It's been hard. We've all been pushing each other hard on the ice. It's going to be huge Friday night. We're all really excited."
Vilardi says people are probably doubting the Spitfires because of the lengthy layoff.
"I think we are the underdog. We lost in the first round, but I think the Western Conference was so good. Those top five teams, any one of them could've been champs of the league. We can be viewed as underdogs, but that's not what we think in the room," says Vilardi.
Vilardi scored 29 goals and had 61 points in 49 games for the Spitfires during the regular season.
AM800's coverage of Friday's Memorial Cup game starts with the pre-game show at 6:30pm.
With files from AM800's Rob Hindi